History in the Making

The Regent Theatre and the accompanying Plaza Theatre opened on May 15, 1929. Intended as picture palaces, these ornate, lavish buildings were part of a glamorous entertainment era where a night out at the cinema was an exciting event on the social calendar.
Inspired by the New York Capitol Theatre, the Regent was designed by Cedric Ballantyne and was the third picture palace in the Hoyts Cinema chain. It was also by far the most elaborate, taking inspiration from Spanish Gothic and French Renaissance styles, with the grand foyer set to resemble a cathedral.
The smaller Plaza Theatre below was initially designed to be a ballroom. When they were denied a liquor license, the space was redesigned to be a second cinema with a distinctly Spanish design.

A disastrous fire tore through The Regent in 1945, completely gutting the auditorium and destroying the Wurlitzer organ. Although the building was believed to be fire resistant, the decorative plaster work and softwood framing exacerbated the severity of the fire. Miraculously during the fire, the safety curtain had fallen, covering and protecting the contents onstage.

The Regent Theatre is painstakingly restored to its former glory using the original moulds and architectural plans. Despite the scarcity of building materials post WWII, Hoyts was able to receive special permission from the State Government to rebuild the theatre, ensuring the resurrection of ‘the peoples palace’.
The biggest difference in the reconstruction was that the proscenium was changed from curved to straight and the chandeliers no longer took inspiration from those at Versailles.

As television became more accessible across Australia, the grand picture palaces of the 1920s waned in popularity. Heading to the cinema was no longer the lavish outing it once had been, and this served as the final blow to the historic venue. The Regent closed its doors on 1 July 1970, followed by the Plaza on 4 November.

Over the next two decades there was heated debate of the future of the Regent Theatre as governments planned to redevelop the area into part of a new ‘City Square’. With many proposals including a casino, boutique hotel and a car park all on the table for the space, a Save the Regent Theatre committee was formed to influence the government into protecting the building.

The Save the Regent campaign garnered over 1800 signatures and was presented to the Melbourne City Council in 1975. The Regent Theatre was finally classified as heritage listed building by the National Trust in 1979. The campaign also gathered letters of support from many notable people, including one of The Australian Ballet’s founders, Sir Robert Helpmann.

After lying dormant for 26-years, the Regent reopened with a gala event on 17 August 1996. David Marriner was behind the grand restoration to return the Regent to its former glory. Construction began in 1993 and included the redesign of The Plaza Ballroom for its original purpose, a cabaret ballroom that now hosts some of Melbourne’s premiere galas, dinners, events and screenings.

The 2019 major refurbishment of the Regent Theatre auditorium included both cosmetic and practical updates to the theatre. From replica heritage patterned carpets and paintwork, the major construction included an extension to the dress circle balcony (making it four metres closer to the stage), a new seating layout and refinement of the floor rake to improve sight lines.

The Regent Theatre reopened on 11 January 2020 with the National Theatre’s production of War Horse and was the first ever play to be performed at the theatre in its then 90-year history.

In the 95 years since the Regent Theatre opened, it has hosted cinematic blockbuster screenings, musicals, dance, events and concerts. In 2024 we will perform on the historic stage for the first time in the world-premiere of Christopher Wheeldon's Oscar©, a full-length production commissioned exclusively for The Australian Ballet.

We can’t wait to take you beyond words in 2024 as we enter an exciting new chapter in The Australian Ballet’s history.